[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 141 (Tuesday, October 31, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11421-S11422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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    COMMENDING IDAHO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR HONORING WWII VETERANS

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to commend the Idaho youth 
who have honored World War II veterans in recent months. Several Idaho 
high schools, including Pocatello High School, Highland High School, 
and Century High School, as well as Bosie high School, have become 
tremendously involved in Operation Recognition. In addition, students 
at Eagle High School have fundraised extensively for the National WWII 
Memorial that will be placed on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
  Operation Recognition is a new program through which honorary high 
school diplomas are awarded to WWII veterans. The veterans who receive 
these diplomas left for service in the war before they completed their 
studies. The gesture of awarding an honorary diploma is a way to thank 
veterans and demonstrate appreciation for the sacrifices that they 
made.
  Students whose high schools award honorary diplomas often assist in 
planning the details of the ceremony. In the process of developing 
memorable and personal additions to the graduation, these young people 
learn about the war and its historical significance.
  Pocatello High School has selected December 7th of this year, which 
is the 59th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, as the date of its ceremony 
for graduating veterans. Honorary diplomas will also be awarded to 
those who attended nearby Highland High School and Century High School. 
As part of the festivities, one student from each high school will 
interview a veteran who attended his or her school. The graduates and 
their families are invited to stay after the ceremony for a reunion. 
Students have been asked to help decorate the stage and escort 
attendees to their seats.
  The Boise High School History Club is already preparing for the April 
17, 2001, Boise High veterans' graduation. Students in the club have 
done exhaustive research to find eligible veterans. They have also been 
working to publicize the event, preparing a yearbook for each 
graduating veteran, and making arrangements for a homeroom mentor 
program. The students are arranging speaking opportunities for the 
veterans and a range of social activities, including a cookout. Idaho 
State Veterans Home Volunteer Coordinator, Tom Ressler, says that the 
goal is to establish a relationship between veterans and students 
before the graduation.
  Eagle High School students showed their appreciation for WWII 
veterans by raising more than twenty-three thousand dollars for the 
National WWII Memorial. Their year-and-a-half fundraising effort proved 
to be the most successful of all our nation's high schools. The 
enthusiastically-run fundraising campaign included candy sales, a giant 
tag sale, and concession stands. The students also marched in parades 
and ran advertisements on television.
  Eleventh grade American history teacher, Gail Chumbley, and student 
chairs Fil Southerland and Kate Bowen spearheaded the initiative. Ms. 
Chumbley reported that the fundraising campaign has motivated many 
students to learn about WWII outside of class. Ms. Chumbley, Mr. 
Southerland, and Ms. Bowen will present The National Campaign Chairman, 
Senator Bob Dole, with a commemorative check at the monument's 
groundbraking ceremony that will be held on Veterans' Day this year.
  I take great pride in the fact that members of the youngest 
generation of Idahoans, who have grown up in a time of relative peace 
and unprecedented prosperity for our country, take time to honor our 
nation's WWII veterans.

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Through their endeavors, these students have learned much about WWII. 
In the process, they have heightened their community's awareness of 
this important part of American history and the brave people who were 
part of it.

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